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Its so different from 'normal ' day to day life.
if you fly in on a light aircraft when you get out the plane it hits you in the face -
the smells , the sounds, the air , it just feels wonderful.
All your problems just melt away, its almost like being on a different planet.
The wildlife, the camps, the landscape, the people, the sounds, the sunrises and sunsets,
Sundowners, breakfast in the bush, dinner in the evening at the camp, everything just blitzes your senses.
No other type of holiday will ever come close to the experience you will have on a safari.

@Raelond@Geoff@lmonmm@marg@michael-ibk@bluebird@wilddog@madaboutcheetah@KaingU Lodge
Thanks so much for all your supportful comments for Rachel.
Rachel is fine and well, and working ( in senior management at the Open University), and having had chemo and radio therapy back in 2015 for anal cancer ( which shrunk the 3cm tumour to 6mm , the size of a pea), she finally had to have the major surgery APR op in March 2016 which then left her cancer free at that time, as they could find no traces of any more anywhere else in MRI, CT and full head to toe PET scans.
March 2017 - one year follow-up CT Scan - we expected it to be all clear , but one spot now found on her lung which they are convinced is secondary anal cancer - ie it means it has spread through her blood. PET scan will be done in the next couple of weeks to look in more detail and check no further traces of tiny groups of cells, then standard 3 months chemo followed by surgery to remove the spot.
After that we hope that will be the last of it.

Rachel saw her consultant today and unfortunately the recent scan has found a spot of cancer - so she will be having 3 months of chemo.
Therefore this safari will be rescheduled, we hope, for next year.

Africatravelresource have lots of full screen photos of nearly all of the camps and lodges on their website (more than 4000 camps). These include good photos of the central areas of the camp , the rooms and the local landscape. The same section also includes photos of wildlife taken while staying at the camps.

@@madaboutcheetah
The UK Govt info says the restrictions apply to all flights to and from certain countries, and there also info about not carrying spare batteries , even in hold luggage. THe info regarding camera and battery restrictions seems rather complicated.
https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions/electronic-devices-and-electrical-items

@@xelasYes, I realise from the posts that its the return journey that matters, but it makes sense for us to book both directions via Jo'burg on SA airways - unless of course these restrictions are implemented for all international flights. Then it would be a question of which airline is is most likely to get your camera equipment safely to your destinations.

Just read through all this.
We are planning to go to Zambia ( from UK) in July, and hope to confirm the booking next week.
Part of that would include the international flight - we had chosen Emirates, London via Dubai to Lusaka.
As we have not booked the flight yet I assume it would be best for us to book on South African instead - London via Jo'burg to Lusaka?

I have only been on safari a few times, but if you really want to be in camps that have wildlife in and around them ( ie generally camps inside the parks ), and be in good locations for excellent wildlife viewing with few other vehicles around, then given your budget of less than $4000 per person I think you should consider a shorter time on safari.
Also I believe the drive to Selous and then eventually on to Ruaha is not easy and it takes a long time ( others on here who have far more experience please feel free to contradict my suggestions), so a large amount of time driving with only very limited time actually at the camps is probably not the best solution.
As has already been commented, with your budget, you should consider the northern circuit. Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the 'must see' Ngorongoro Crater ( it may be a busy place but is one of the true wonders of the world), would make a great safari and if you go earlier in your available time, ie June or early July it wont be too busy In those locations.

@@lmonmm
Weve only ever been to one Wilderness Safari camp before - Duma Tau in Linyanti, Botswana, and we really liked it a lot. Their camps are generally way out of our price range, but we feel we ought to and are able to treat ourselves this time.

@@Geoff
Had circumstances been different we would also have chosen Busanga, but due to Rachels surgery ( now has a stoma) reasonable bathroom facilities and a slightly better level of comfort on safari have become a priority.
Its also her 50th birthday while we are in Zambia, and as she has gone through chemo, radiotherapy and very major surgery over the last two years, plus we are for the first time in our lives in the fortunate but totally unexpected situation of having funds in advance to finance this and the next couple of safaris, we both feel that there will be no compromises for this safari - you never know what is round the next corner, life is too short.
Incidentally the only way we were able to go on the first four of our previous five safaris was by borrowing against our house, ie increasing the mortgage ( it seems if you really want to do something enough then one way or another you may achieve it ), therefore normally cost is the the most limiting factor when we choose a safari.

We bought a couple of books for this safari, one on Kafue and one on Luangwa:
A visitors guide to Kafue National Park Zambia , by Peter de Vere Moss
and
Luangwa Valley - Unique Wilderness in Africa - Hupe nature guide
The Kafue book, first printed 2013, is surprisingly really good,, and has a large foldout map of Kafue ( opens to about A2 size)
The Luangwa one is also good , but has lots of large photos and less detail about the park.